THE SCOURGE FROM THE VALLEY (TEXAS)

by HAJI MAJI

Bruno Villareal was a half-blind accordion player from Santa Rosa, Texas, who played for money around town with a tin cup attached to his accordion. Nicknamed “El Azote del Valle” (the Scourge from the Valley), he became well-known as the first Tex-Mex accordion player to record. He recorded under his own name or as the Texas Accordion Boys, or in this single case, The Rooster. He was a traditionalist, with equal use of the left and right hand. But as the right hand came to dominate the sound, as in the style of Narciso Martinez, old-school players like Villareal were left behind. This song was recorded at the Texas Hotel in San Antonio on August 16, 1935. He died, destitute, in 1976.